Fence construction



Paterlted June 28, 1892.

G. P. ST. JOHN. FENCE CONSTRUCTION.

(No Model.)

/J Wan/W UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE F. S'I. JOIIN, OF HIGHLAND STATION, MICHIGAN.

FENCE CONSTRUCTION.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 477,916, dated June 28, 1892. Application filed December 2l., 1891. Serial No. 415,734. (No model.)

To all whom t may concern:

De it known that I, GEORGE F. ST. JOHN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Highland Station, in the county of Oakland and State of Miehigan,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fence Construction 5 and l do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a partof this specification.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in felices; and it consists in a certain construction and arrangemeutof parts, fully hereinafter set forth, the essential features of which beingpointed out particularly in the claims.

The object of the invention is to provide cheap, simple, and effective means for constructing and supporting fences without the use of nails, and a further provision whereby sufficient tension may be applied to the supports or stays to give the fence the desired rigidity. This object is attained by the construction illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a perspective View of a line of fence embodying my improved features. Fig. 2 is a vertiealcross-seetion through the fence and a portion of the ground, showing the fence construction and the manner of anchoring the traverse stays.

Referring to the letters of reference, A desig nates the stays'or guy-wires that support the fence laterally. Said guys are anchored in the ground at right angles to the line of the fence, as shown in Fig. 2, the wire passing around the anchor-stones B and being drawn obliquely from each side to the top of the post G of the fence, in which a notch a is formed that receives the wire and around the ears e of which the ends of the wire are secured, thereby effecting a strong support for the fence and enabling the employment of short and light posts, the lower ends of which stand on a stone or base block E. The horizontal boards or bars D of the fence are supported by means of the vertical wire b, the lower end of which is attached at c to an eye formed in the horizontal portion f of the stays or guys A, and,said wire being wound about each of the bars D successively, as shown at o, to retain them the proper distance apart. Its upper end, passing over the top of the post and ex tending' downward, is attached to the lever F. Where the ends of the bars D meet, they are lapped and the wire h passed around their lapped ends, as shown at o. To prevent the bars so supported from swinging away from the posts, the binding-wire is passed around the wire Zi and the post, whereby the bars are secured to the posts and supported the proper distance apart without the use of nails. To apply tension to the guys A, so as to give the desired rigidity to the fence, the lever F is eniployed, which is fulcrumed on the cross-wire d, the ends of which are attached to the guys h designates the tension wire, which is looped at its center to receive the end of the lever F, one of the end portions of said wire 7L passing downward on one side of the bars an d, crossingunder the bottom bar, is attached to one of the guys A, the other end portion of said wire passing downward on the other side of the bars and, crossing under the bottom bar, is attached to the opposite guy, so that the ends of the wire 7i are crossed under the bottom bar of the fence and, extending in opposite directions, are attached to the opposite guys, respectively, whereby by applying a downward force to the handle n of the lever F the ends of the wire 7L will draw upon the guys A and place the desired tension thereon, drawing alike on each of said guys to retain the fence in a perfectly-vertical line. The crosswire d, which serves as a fulcrum of the lever and bears the force applied thereto, also draws on the guys A. The vertical wire h being attached at its free end to the lever F, as said lever is depressed said wire b is drawn to render the parts tight and firm. rlhe lower end of said wire, being attached to the horizontal port-ion of the guys A, is prevented from being drawn out of the ground and takes the slack out of the guy-wires between the anchors B and assists in placing the tension thereon.

To provide means for locking the lever F to retain the tension placed upon the guys, there is employed a duplex hook f, (shown in Fig. 1,) that engages the lever and the under edge of one of the bars of the fence, and which may be slid along as, the lever is depressed to secure it in place.

It will novvY be apparent that this improved means may also be employed for supporting` a slat-and-Wire fence, if desired.

Having thus fully set forth my invention, What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. In a fence, the combination of the post,

the guys attached thereto, the series of bars having overlapping ends, the vertical Wire wound around thelapped ends of each series of bars, the lever, and the transverse tensionwire attached to the lever and crossed under said bars, its ends being attached to the guys.

2. In a fence, the combination of the post, the guys, the lever, the cross-Wire on Which the lever is fulcrumed, attached to the guys, the tension-Wire attached to the guys and looped around the end of said lever, and means for locking said lever, substantially as speeied.

3. In a fence, the combination of the post,

the triangular guy-Wire attached thereto, the

lever, the vertical Wire attached at its lower end to the horizontal portion of the guy and passing over the post, its other end being attached to the lever, the tension-Wire attached 1 to the lever and its ends attached to the guy, vand means for looking said lever, substantially as set forth.

4. In a fence, the combination of the post, the guys, the bars, the lever, the vertical supporting-Wire wound around said bars and attached at its free end to said lever, the crosstension-Wire attached to the lever and having its ends coupled to the guys, substantially as specified.

l In testimony whereof I aliix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

GEORGE F. ST. J OHN. Vitnesses:

FREDERICK HARRIS, C. A. HARRIS.

' .Wire on which the lever is fulerurned, and the 

